FRIDAY FOTO (October 14, 2011)

Sea of Mud

(U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Grovert Fuentes-Contreras)

U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Patrick Reynolds fights racing water while holding on to a tow strap attached to an Afghan army vehicle stuck in the Lurah River in Afghanistan’s Shinkai district. Reynolds is a squad leader assigned to Provincial Reconstruction Team Zabul.

Provincial reconstruction teams (PRTs) were created to help the Afghan and Iraqi people develop the infrastructure necessary to succeed when the violence and conflict stop. PRTs are integral part of the long-term strategy to shift responsibility  for security, governance, and economics to the local populace.

To see how Staff Sgt. Reynolds got into this mess and how he got out of it, click here for a Defense Department photo essay.